All Nations Community Church
Christmas is a time for music! This 4-week Christmas series looks at four songs from the book of Luke (Mary’s, Zechariah’s, the Angels’, and Simeon’s), explaining what each says about the story of Christmas. Each song is about how Jesus came to set the world right, and we can be a part of this movement.
Big Idea of the Message: Remain open to God's incomprehensible ways
God uses the unlikely to do the unlikely. What audacity that God would use society's lowest occupations and its most meager resources to begin his awesome work of salvation.
God chose to reveal the birth of the Savior to simple shepherds who were going about their job. Why shepherds? God chose simple shepherds to be the first to know of the birth of the Savior is even more strange by human standards because, in Israel, shepherding was a lowly task.
Shepherds:
- Most often poor and illiterate
- Their reputation was lowly at best
- They were despised because they were unable to attend services
- Unable to keep the ceremonial laws of washing and cleansing
This God gave the first message of His Son to common shepherds, those looked upon as sinners
Note that the Gospel bypassed the religious/spiritual epicenter, Jerusalem and moved to the sheep fields
Luke 2:8-14 ESV
Consider yourself desirable (vv. 8-14)
- The Greek word eros, often mentioned with romantic love, means desire in its simplest form (cf. to Luke 19:10)
- The Lord desires each of us just as we are!
- The Glory of God shining around these shepherds affirmed God's desire
- An angel appeared amongst unclean shepherds in an unclean environment
- We witness a personal encounter with these lowly men….
- They experienced light breaking through the darkness
- They were made afraid
- Yet, these men were recipients of Good News
- The Good News turned fright into joy!
Luke 2:15-20 ESV
Commit to sharing the Gospel (Luke 2:15-20)
- We witness the shepherd’s immediate response to the good news by going to be with Jesus!
- No mention of the Shulchan Aruch (ceremonial cleansing)
- Note: they were on duty (on the clock); most shepherds worked for someone else and didn’t own the sheep….
- These guys left their responsibility to find this Jesus
- What a profound impact upon their life that they risked their livelihood, security, and the lives of the sheep.
For them, experiencing Jesus far outweighed any risk…
- Seeing Jesus was not enough; they had to share the story
Talk it over:
1. What is one thing that stood out to you from this week’s message?
2. What does it mean to you that God desires you?
3. When was the last time you shared the Gospel?